Rockets' Old Strengths Could Be Key to Mitigating Struggles

Yesterday's 119-96 Christmas Day win was a wakeup call for the Houston Rockets, who had been sluggish through most of December. Finishing up a tough Western Conference road trip, Houston managed to end it on a major high note, taking down a title contender on their home floor.

As much as they've soared with the addition of veterans such as Kevin Durant, the Rockets went back to what made them great during the late stages of the rebuild. In LA, Houston dominated the Lakers on the glass, forced turnovers and ran in transition.

The stats certainly show it: the Rockets grabbed 48 boards to the Lakers' 25, recorded a combined 16 steals and blocks, and managed to score 23 points off of LA's 16 turnovers. It's no coincidence that they led 99% of the game.

Yes, having Durant means you slow down the offense and let one of the greatest scorers ever to work in the half-court. He can certainly do so, averaging 25.2 points and 4.2 assists on 51-44-90 shooting splits.

However, Houston's slow pace (29th in the NBA) has come back to bite them at times, especially in December. While the defense was more of a problem amid a 5-6 record this month, the offense hasn't been hard to stop.

In their losses, many opponents would force double teams on Durant and Alperen Sengun, the two primary initiators with Fred VanVleet sidelined. In many cases, the Rockets get flustered in these situations, but against the Lakers, they relied on quick ball movement, turning defense into offense via fastbreaks, and a quicker pace (16 fastbreak points).

Houston doesn't just have elite defenders like Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, but great transition players. Thompson, in particular, sped up the tempo both in the half-court and fastbreak opportunities.

Last season, we witnessed a young Indiana Pacers team get all the way to the NBA Finals via a quick pace. While that isn't a play style for everyone, the Rockets could find more offensive success by speeding up the tempo when Durant isn't there to run the offense.

Youngsters such as Thompson, Eason and Reed Sheppard are quick players who can turn misses and turnovers into points in the paint. It would certainly be a huge ask, but for a team that still has a young core in place, Houston still has holes in the offense that could be mitigated by playing into these strengths. If VanVleet isn't there to organize things, leaning into chaos could be a real solution.

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